Manyi ‘must step down or commit’

An email correspondence leaked to City Press and authored by a board member of the Black Management Forum (BMF) indicates a rift over how the forum’s president, Jimmy Manyi, transferred his powers to his deputy.

In the scathing email, sent to all BMF board members, Mpumalanga deputy chairperson John Nkadimeng writes that Manyi should choose between continuing to do all his BMF duties and resigning.

“In the BMF there is no sleeping partner, like in some businesses where people become directors without being active. BMF leaders are elected to perform and not to take a back seat,” he says.

Nkadimeng then takes a swipe at the forum’s second-in-command, Tembakazi Mnyaka, for ­accepting the president’s duties.

“I don’t think the organisation can afford that (situation).

“The BMF has many capable professionals who can take up the challenge.”

Nkadimeng’s March 8 email comes after the BMF announced last Sunday that Manyi, who recently hogged headlines for saying Western Cape coloureds should seek job opportunities in other provinces, would relinquish most of his responsibilities to Mnyaka. Manyi was recently appointed as government spokesperson.

Nkadimeng accused the BMF board of showing “lack of leadership and a character of worshipping the presidency that is taking our organisation to the gully” during last Saturday’s meeting.

He alleges that when Mpumalanga chairperson Tlou Keetse tried to complain about Manyi passing his duties to Mnyaka, Keetse was told to be quiet.

“The president throughout the meeting threw missiles at some provincial leaders and threatened them for speaking their minds.

“When the Mpumalanga chairperson brought up governance issues on the matter, one respected leader said Mpumalanga ‘always makes negative comments’.”

Nkadimeng also complains that the board requested him to ­conduct an exit interview with the forum’s former managing director, Gaba Tabane, but the findings were ignored.

He says the interview wasted his time, money and energy as he had to drive from Mpumalanga to Sandton to meet with Tabane.

“Our report was ignored, as if we did not get a mandate to do it. This has caused me pain I might not easily forget, and removed the ­respect I have for the leadership in this organisation,” he says.

He further complained that Manyi left before the board meeting ended and did not even bother to submit an apology.“It is really shocking that the board is running its affairs this way. I hope the student chapter will not learn from this,” he says.

Nkadimeng, who is not mandated to make media comments, referred questions to Keetse.

Keetse said the issues raised by his deputy needed to be discussed at board level.

“My view is that the board should not ignore the contents of this email as our branches are ­aggrieved,” Keetse said, before ­refusing to comment further.

Mnyaka declined to comment.

“I have not checked my emails for three days as I am organising a breakfast function for our chief executives and another event on behalf of a minister. I will check the emails on Monday,” she said.

BMF Free State chairperson Norbert Nyamsi said the board had agreed the president’s powers would be transferred to Mnyaka, to minimise conflict of interest.

Limpopo chair Abram Luruli considered the issue concluded.

“We discussed the matter during the board meeting, agreed on it and the president closed it.

“If Nkadimeng feels strongly about the matter, he should make his submission to the BMF managing director, Nomhle Nkumbi-Ndopu, so that it can be discussed at the next board meeting.”

The student chapter’s Tshepo Raseleka and Gauteng chair Alwyn Nel declined to comment as “they had not seen the email”.

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